Five universities receive funds to highlight cutting-edge research

Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Jan 11, 2007 by Ronald Roach

The ResearchChannel organization has awarded matching funds to five universities as part of the group's first-time Matching Funds Production Awards Program. The program was established to encourage productions that build public awareness of research addressing a range of issues.

The program provides production funding that will help showcase the work of world-class researchers through television and Internet broadcasts.

"We received a wealth of terrific proposals from a diverse group of institutions. The projects chosen represent outstanding work that demonstrates how the public can benefit from learning about vital research developments," says Amy Philipson, executive director of ResearchChannel.

The following institutions received funding through the program:

* Montana State University: "Silky Sifaka," a documentary on the behavior, ecology and conservation of one of the most endangered lemurs in Madagascar.

* The University of Nevada, Las Vegas: "Behind the Research: A Study of a Model Hot Spring," a documentary showcasing the innovative research of UNLV assistant biology professor Dr. Brian Hedlund.

* The American Meteorological Society: "Hurricane-Climate Connection," a program featuring the work of Dr. Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.

* The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution: "Corals at the Crossroads," a documentary examining the threats modern life poses to coral reefs in the Florida Keys.

* The University of Wisconsin-Madison: "Research Journal" reports on three UW research projects--The IceCube Project, an observatory installed in the ice below the South Pole Station; a revolutionary new MRI technique; and the Large Hadron Collider.

"We look forward to continuing this awards program and helping researchers make their important work accessible to a large, public audience," Philipson says.